(Estimated Pub Date) the Challenge of Ethnic Conflict to National and International Order in the 1990S: Geographic Perspectives- October 1995

Approved for Release: 2018/06/01 C00123268
The inset in the column to the right outlines 10 struc-
tural characteristics of minority nationalism; figure 4
illustrates where such nationalism is most virulent
today.
Ethnicity and Territorial Separatism: The Basques
The most critical form of minority nationalism in the
European Union (EU) today is separatism, which is
manifest in a surprisingly large number of member
states and which in some respects acts as a counter to
the general thrust of globalization and integration so
suggestive of the so,-called “postmodemist New World
Order" (Williams, 1993). The complex process of sep-
aratism can be schematized as in figure 5, which is
derived from a larger project on political territorial
adjustment being undertaken by C. F. J. Whebell.
In postwar Europe, separatism is best illustrated by the
Basque case, though it has relevance in explaining the
Corsican, Flemish, and various Celtic cases as well.
The Basques have enjoyed long periods of relative
autonomy before their incorporation into the Spanish
state; elements of their institutional distinctiveness,
the fueros, survived until fairly recently and were used
as evidence of a prior claim to legitimate statehood.
Their language and culture were deemed unique
because they were unrelated to any Indo-European
language group and were among the oldest surviving
elements of civilization in Europe.
Under the impress of state building, the govemment
sought to ruthlessly eradicate non-Spanish elements,
producing a deep resentment within the Basque com-
munity. State oppression was confirmed during the
Spanish Civil War and sustained thereafter when the
Spanish forces were regarded as constituting an inter-
nal colonial military occupation. This is similar to the
Irish Republican nationalist interpretation of the role
of British troops in Northern Ireland. Thereafter, vio-
lence and oppression characterized Basque-Madrid
relations as the Franco regime sought to eradicate
local political dissent and to destroy Basque cultural
identity.
The creation in 1957 of Euskadi ta Askatasuna
(ETA)—~Basque Homeland and Liberty—reinvigo-
rated Basque nationalism. Robert Clark (1979, 1984)
Some Structural Characteristics of Minority
Nationalism
I. Defense of a unique territory, the homeland, and
the protection of a valued environment.
2. Defense and promotion of a culture and identity-
language, religion, social existence.
3. Resistance to centralist trends and relative power-
lessness over decisionmaking.
4. Perception of exploitation and underdevelopment—
structural discrimination.
5. Resistance to outsiders, immigrants, settlers, colo-
nizers.
6. Fear of loss of local dominance and influence
expressed through cultural attrition.
7. Violent and nonviolent expression of ethnic dissent
and discord—escalati0n of risks.
8. Group-learning, myth formation, persistent ine-
qualities that shape current ideology and define con-
temporary identity in light of historically significant
acts of oppression.
9. Antistate, antistatus quo political action intended to
realize a new basis of legitimacy.
10. Redefinition of the problem situation and of con-
fiict in light of the most recent events and renewed
reforms, concessions, political accommodations, and
gains for beleagured minority within the dominant
system.
has provided an excellent overview of the growth and
development of ETA. He argues that it was the special
combination of the defense of traditional cultural val-
ues, rapid industrialization, and opposition to Spanish
intemal colonialism, that nurtured and sustained the
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Approved for Release: 2018/06/01 C00123268